http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1190528/
See above thread for my plea!
Jo
Bitter Cukes - How are yours?
I always heard, to pick cukes and other veggies in the early morning, to keep them from being bitter. hen, they haven't sat out in the heat all day long. Seems to work for me, on cukes, squash, etc.
I just went out and looked at mine. It looks like the heat and wind or spider mites have gotten to them. They looked ok yesterday. I sprayed them with water and will neem them tomorrow morning. Whatever it is got to them quick, they looked ok when I turned on the soaker hose yesterday!
I get about 1 bitter cuke out of every 20 or so from my plants. Don't know the reason though because they are watered the same. I pick mine anytime of the day that I can get to the garden.
Im growing a variety called sugar crunch and tho it has been horribly hot and dry, even a yellowed (over ripe) cuke has not been bitter.
Here is more input...it seems to be a hot topic right now.
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1189347/#new
Shoe
Quote from Horseshoe :
Here is more input...it seems to be a hot topic right now.
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1189347/#new
Shoe
Rubbing the cut ends against the remaining body until foamy to remove the bitterness - sounds like an exorcism to me! Don't you just love the gyrations gardeners go through; now I'm wondering what else is in the bag of tricks - those unusual methods to render a veggie edible!!!
OK...I'm going to feel foolish doing this but I'll give it a try.
Buster-if you do that will you record it please? Hehe
Quote from busterharrell :
Rubbing the cut ends against the remaining body until foamy to remove the bitterness - sounds like an exorcism to me! Don't you just love the gyrations gardeners go through; now I'm wondering what else is in the bag of tricks - those unusual methods to render a veggie edible!!!
OK...I'm going to feel foolish doing this but I'll give it a try.
I know that it will extract the sap but I don't know if it will take care of the bitterness. I have seen "old school" homemakers do that but somehow my grandmother and my mom, both of whom were/are savvy people and great cooks, have never done it or told me that it has to be done to a cuke. Next time I get a bitter cuke, I will have to give it a try, though.
Quote from Quyen :
I know that it will extract the sap but I don't know if it will take care of the bitterness. I have seen "old school" homemakers do that but somehow my grandmother and my mom, both of whom were/are savvy people and great cooks, have never done it or told me that it has to be done to a cuke. Next time I get a bitter cuke, I will have to give it a try, though.
Really? That's a trick we all learn at our mother's knee. That and parboiling all our veggies before we cook them is just normal proceedure, just like checking for bugs in a kosher kitchen. When I say checking for bugs I mean an up close and personal detailed cavity search check. My friend has a light box she uses to check for bugs.